The government today announced a series of steps for achieving the target of 135 million tonne (mt) Rabi foodgrain production this year. These include incentives to state governments and officials for achieving targets, ensuring credit to farmers and extension support. Rabi production last year was 100.01 mt.
The strategy to maximize Rabi production taking advantage of September rains was evolved during the two-day Rabi conference held here this weekend. Agriculture Secretaries and Commissioners, Vice-Chancellors of Agriculture Universities and agricultural scientist had participated in the conference.
Announcing the strategy, Agriculture Minister Shri Sharad Pawar explained that though there has been 7.5 percent shortfall in Kharif production this year due to drought in some areas, the overall foodgrain production would rise to 235 mt (Kharif: 100 mt + Rabi: 135 mt) in the current year as compared to 212 mt (Kharif: 112 mt + Rabi: 100 mt) last year.
A nation-wide campaign will soon be launched to provide seeds of new varieties of crops, other inputs and timely information so that farmers are able to make best use of moisture present in the soil, the Minister said.
The Agriculture Minister also said that a number of meetings were held at his level in the recent past to mobilize credit from cooperative and commercial institutions / banks for the farming sector. Credit worth Rs 1,05, 000 crore is likely to flow to the agriculture sector in the present year as compared to Rs. 80,000 crore last year.
States have been asked to closely monitor credit disbursement and the progress of the recently announced debt-restructuring package. The Centre is also deputing teams to States to take stock of seeds, fertilizers, credit distribution and actual sowing of Rabi crops.
States achieving targets will be rewarded with additional plan outlay in some areas and officials showing good results would be honoured and rewarded with cash and office facilities.
Announcing the first advance estimates of Kharif production, the Minister said that despite drought, soybean, groundnut, cotton and kharif oilseeds had in fact seen growth in production. The figures of production are as follows:
crop | 2004 production estimates (mt) | 2003 production (mt) |
rice | 71.1 | 75.5 |
Kharif coarse cereals | 24.5 | 27.96 |
kharif pulses | 4.69 | 5.44 |
kharif oilseeds | 15.45 | 15.0 |
TOTAL KHARIF FOODGRAINS | 100.29 | 108.45 |
sugarcane | 235.45 | 261.37 |
cotton | 13.85 m bales | 13.12 mb |